Quidditch League Round 9 - Alice in Wonderland

1. (quote) 'Okay is wonderful.' - AVPM

4. (object) tea leaves

10. (song) 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon

I've left out the names of who the characters relate to on purpose.

~ I've been roaming around ~

~ Always looking down at all I see ~

~ Painted faces, fill the places I can't reach ~

Hermione tried not to fidget in the uncomfortable dress. She'd rather be back in her room, reading one of her books filled with exciting adventures and other worlds.

Instead, she was at a suspect garden party which she suspected was not a simple garden party. Everyone was a little too dressed up, and too many glances were thrown her way. She feared the party would contain a proposal.

Long ears twitched as the girl checked her pocket watch. Time was running out, but that was fine. She knew everything would work out.

Plus Molly kept insisting she dance with Ron.

Not that she had anything against Ronald Weasley. He was a nice man, and a Lord, as was often pointed out to her. His family had also taken her in when she had lost her own in an accident on their travels to Australia, because their fathers had been friends.

She watched the girl, all dressed up in blue, brown curls tamed around her face. Older, but still the right Hermione. The girl she had been looking for.

It wasn't the life Hermione saw for herself. She didn't want to be hosting these parties; she didn't want to be a part of this society. They didn't have those feelings for each other either.

She danced around the edges of the party, drawing Hermione's attention. She lifted the clock, indicating the time.

"Aunt Muriel," Hermione began, turning to the older sister of Arthur Weasley. "Did you see a rabbit or a girl with…" Hermione frowned, realising that her description sounded mad. "She was wearing a waistcoat over a sparkling silver dress. I think she was wearing radishes for earrings!"

"I don't have time for your fancy rabbits," Aunt Muriel merely sniffed.

She moved into sight, the girl's honey-brown eyes finding her immediately. A finger pointed her way, and the white rabbit danced towards the edge of the maze.

And as the theme of the party was revealed—her engagement party—she realised that feelings didn't matter. Molly and Arthur were watching expectantly, along with every single guest.

She couldn't do it.

She swayed against the edge of the maze, tapping her watch as brown eyes found her once more. They both knew what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry, I need a moment."

The white rabbit bolted, Hermione not far behind.

...oOo…

As she fell, Hermione realised that this wasn't her best idea. Following a rabbit-like girl down a hole; what had she expected to find down there?

She knew it was too late to consider this, but there wasn't much else she could think about whilst falling.

Until she hit the ground.

Hermione lifted herself from the floor, her body hurting from the impact, though it felt like only a small fall compared to the long time she had been travelling.

She glanced around uncertainly, noting that things were the same as before. She was nervous, scared… but a part of her was excited to be there again.

Hermione noticed the doors around the circular room. She looked between them for a moment before reaching out to open one, only to find it locked—as were the rest.

She giggled to herself, remembering the same events thirteen years prior. Maybe Hermione didn't remember?

Hermione took the key from the table as her eyes fell on an innocent looking bottle. It was something that had appeared in a recurring dream over the past thirteen years. A dream about another world filled with fun and excitement, about wonderful, mad, amazing people.

She suspected that she was in the same dream again, and her hand slowly reached for the potion, her eyes falling on the 'drink me' tag.

"There's no way I'm falling for this again," Hermione muttered to herself. She sipped the contents of the bottle and clutched the key as she waited for something to happen.

She felt her body shrinking and gathered her dress around her, holding it tightly. Once smaller, she noticed the little box under the table too.

Oh yes, she thought to herself, remembering the box from the dream. She grabbed it and headed to the smallest door.

When dreaming, she had always chosen the smallest door, after all.

"I knew it was the right Hermione," the girl murmured softly, as she twisted her cork-necklace between her fingers. "She remembers!"

...oOo…

Having forced the others to turn around, Hermione nibbled on the cake. She felt herself slowly growing and adjusted her clothes quickly. She smiled once they felt as proper as they could be, despite having not worn stockings or a corset.

"You can turn around again," she said. She watched as they did. Her eyes drifted over the dreamy gaze of the white rabbit. The girl had dirty-blonde hair and white ears protruding from the top of her head and was clutching the hand of a man with glasses and bright green eyes, with similar ears.

It was the girl she had followed.

"We're awfully late," the white rabbit stated, looking quite amused at the fact. "I'll lead the way, shall I?"

"Now hold on a moment," Hermione demanded. "Where am I? What am I doing here?" She didn't give the rabbit a moment to answer before reaching up to pinch herself.

"That usually wakes me up," she murmured, confused. "So why is it not working?"

"Come," the white rabbit said. "I'll lead the way to the blue caterpillar. He'll explain everything."

...oOo…

She approached the man bent over the cauldron cautiously. The fumes burnt her nostrils and the back of her throat, causing her to cough.

He stilled for a moment, before standing and turning. "You dare to interrupt my work, stupid girl?" he snapped.

"Are you the blue caterpillar?" she asked, looking at the man. She quickly took in the long, greasy hair, and the hooked nose.

He fixed her with a stare. "Ob -viously," he drawled. "Who are you?"

"Hermione. The white rabbit said—"

"You want to see the Compendium?" he asked, producing the scroll from his robes. Hermione moved closer as the caterpillar opened it. "What is this?" she asked.

"It shows events that are yet to pass," the caterpillar stated. "This here is Frabjous day, when you will slay the Jabberwocky."

...oOo...

The pink queen reached up to put on her new crown, which had pink gems adorning it in the shape of a bow. Satisfied, and wearing her favourite pink dress, she headed to the kitchen.

The cook quickly explained that the tarts she had demanded had been , the woman sent word through the castle for all of the enslaved waiters to wait in the Grand-Hall.

They were the only ones with access to the kitchens.

"Hem, hem," she began, drawing everyone's attention. She gave a sickly-sweet smile. "Someone has broken decree number sixty-four by taking my tarts."

A tense silence fell on the hall as the Queen walked up and down the row of servants, looking for signs of guilt. She stopped in front of a young man, noticing a hint of purple on his lower lip.

"Squimberry juice." she wiped it away and tasted it. Her smile widened. "Off with his head!"

She walked away from the screaming and pleading servant, with a smile on her face. The cook was making more tarts, and her cats were missing her.

And best of all: her handsome Knave was due to arrive back at the castle.

...oOo...

Hermione clung to her injured arm as she walked through the woods. The deep wounds stung and she was lost. She wasn't sure where the caterpillar had disappeared to, but the hare and the white rabbit had been captured by the pink knights. Hermione didn't know what to do.

She looked around at the dark plants and trees, and was so engrossed in her surroundings, she didn't notice the tail hanging down until it curled around her arm.

She pulled free, moving quickly away. A man was laying on his stomach across the branch, sporting a long feline tail and cat-ears. She wondered how he could look so comfortable, balanced on a branch like that.

Grey eyes regarded her curiously before lips curved into a smile. "Good evening, kitten," he purred softly. "Do you need me to tend to you?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione replied in shock. Whatever did he mean? 'Tend to her' indeed.

"Your wound." He pointed towards the affected area, where three deep scratches sat, causing blood to trail down her arm. "I have the skills to heal that."

Slightly wary, Hermione nodded, deciding to take a chance as the wounds were quite painful. She gasped as the man faded from view, only to appear next to her. "Evaporating skills," he explained. "So, where are you going in such a hurry? Why not stop a while? Come and spend time with me?" His fingers ran over the scratches one at a time, causing a brief flash of pain, before the wounds began to heal and scar.

She bit her lip. The man was attractive with his beautiful grey eyes and long black hair. His clothes were skintight, which she couldn't help but be fascinated with as men in London were so uptight with their style.

"What's your name?"

"Hermione."

She didn't miss how he silently mouthed the word, taking a step closer.

"I believe you'll want to see the Hatter?"

"The… who?"

"The Hatter." His smile widened as he leaned in, his lips stopping by her ear. "And you know what they say about mad men? Ah yes, my dear friend could use someone like you!"

Based on his sultry tone, Hermione could very much guess where he was going with it. She opened her mouth to answer, but the man faded into a grey mist, quickly appearing further up the path.

"Coming?"

...oOo…

She walked from between the trees, her eyes on a long table, set for a tea-party. It was filled with mismatched cups, saucers and more teapots than she had ever seen in her life. She noticed a man with glasses asleep on one side of the table, and another man on the other side.

At the head of the table sat a man with a hat pulled down over his eyes. His head was bowed, and Hermione suspected that this was the Hatter she had been told about.

The man slowly lifted his head, as though able to sense her presence, before he rose from the seat. He quickly jumped up onto the table, gracefully avoiding the abundance of cutlery, cups and teapots of every size. He stepped down on the other side, stopping in front of her.

"It's you."

Hermione remembered the man from her dream, but the dream didn't do him justice, and that didn't explain why her heart skipped at the sight of him. Attempting to push the strange feeling aside, she smiled.

"Brought you a present, love," came a voice from behind her.

"As long as you don't think you brought yourself a present," the Hatter replied softly.

Hermione glanced back at the smirking man.

The Hatter took Hermione's hand, leading her up onto the table. It was simply mad, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. After all, this place was already mad, so walking across the table seemed quite normal. She struggled to avoid the teapots, stumbling ungracefully over one, before reaching the other side.

"Take a seat my Dear," he said. "Tea?"

"Please," Hermione replied. "You're the Mad Hatter?"

The man readied the tea leaves in the bottom of the cup, before sliding it over and meeting her gaze. He smiled warmly, his amber eyes sparkling. "As some like to know me," he replied. "My friends, the hare and the dormouse." He gestured to two men. One with black, messy hair which almost hid the hare ears, and glasses. He looked like an older version of the hare who had been captured. He winked as she looked over. She turned her gaze to the dormouse, and was met with watery blue eyes. "It's nice to meet you both."

"So, the rumours are true?" the Hare stated. "Hermione has returned to Wonderland."

"If we've heard the rumours, there's no doubt that the Pink Queen has also heard," the dormouse said.

There was a momentary silence at the mention of the Queen, though Hermione couldn't understand why they all looked at her. She could almost taste the tension.

"Wormy?"

"Yeah, I'll find out if she does." The dormouse scurried away.

Hatter turned back to Hermione. "We'll take you to the Tartan Queen, but first, drink your tea." The cup was placed in front of Hermione, and the Hatter leant closer. "Would you like a bit of chocolate with that?"

...oOo…

Though she hated tea-parties back home, Hermione found herself enjoying this one. There were no silly rules. Instead she listened to the trio telling stories about growing up together with the Dormouse. They fascinated her to no end, but there was something that felt familiar to her.

It felt right to be there, even if this was a dream. Hermione wanted every tea party to be like this. Completely mad, fun, and with such wonderful company.

The Hatter stood abruptly. "I hear something," he said, looking worriedly around the table.

"Wormy hasn't returned; do you think they captured him?"

The Hatter shook his head. "Hermione, we must go." He took her hand, pulling her away from the table.

Minutes later, a blond man stepped into the clearing, He leaned slightly on his walking stick, slate-grey eyes looking around. "Where's Hermione?"

...oOo,,,

Hermione stood on the balcony with the Tartan Queen. The strict, older woman held a warm drink in her hands, a tartan robe wrapped around her and her black hair was up in a tidy bun.

Hermione found she enjoyed the woman's company. Though royalty, she offered a sense of normalcy to Hermione's confused world. Even in the other dreams, she had not met this woman before, though did recall the Pink Queen and painting the roses pink.

"I believe we have company," the woman said, gesturing to the path. Hermione's gaze fell on the Hatter, hare and cat all leading a small group including some twins and various other men, women and children with various animal ears. The Hatter look hurt, and was being supported by the cat.

There was no sign of the dormouse.

Hermione rushed outside, stopping in front of the Hatter. The other two smirked at him, before walking away; Hermione barely noticing the younger hare. "Hermione's back! Do you think she remembers me?"

"She will," his father assured him. "Now, where's your Godfather?"

The smaller hare shrugged as he headed inside with his father.

"You're back. I was scared you wouldn't return," Hermione began. Her gaze moved across the scars that littered the Hatter's face, and she remembered the way he had been moving as he walked. She brought her hand up. "Are you alright?"

The Hatter looked surprised at her touch, but his eyes closed and he rested his head against her hand for a moment. "I am now. I was worried that you wouldn't escape the Pink castle in time."

"Trust you to worry about someone else more than yourself." She smiled. "I shouldn't be so worried: this is a dream after all, but right now it feels…"

"Real?" the Hatter offered. He reached for the hand that rested on his cheek and brought it to his lips, causing Hermione's heart to pound against her chest.

He smirked at her in a manner that was very reminiscent of the cat and the hare and caused Hermione to suddenly see that he wasn't as innocent as he appeared. "It can be real if you want."

She certainly did want it to be.

"Did you find the dormouse?"

"Hermione, he's the one who told the Knights where to find you. He betrayed us all."

...oOo…

Hermione clutched the vial of blood in her hand as she looked around at the familiar faces. She hadn't gotten a chance to know the younger Hare once more, though he had been her first friend when she had arrived as a child.

She had defeated the Jabberwocky and saved them. She had fulfilled her purpose in Wonderland, leaving her uncertain on what to do next. She didn't want to go back to her old life.

"Come back soon, kitten," the cat said, walking over and pressing his warm lips against her cheek.

"How is it that you call me kitten?"

He chuckled, moving aside, leaving Hermione and the Hatter alone.

She turned to him as he removed the hat from his head. His gaze on the vial.

"This will take me home?"

"If that's what you choose," Hermione stilled, her eyes widening as she realised there was another option

"You could stay." He smiled hopefully.

"What an idea," she replied. "A crazy, mad, wonderful idea. But… where will I stay?"

"Stay with me," the Hatter whispered. "In Wonderland. It won't feel right without you."

"It won't?" Hermione asked, unable to stop herself grinning.

"No," he replied. "We all need you. I need you! Please stay!"

Hermione didn't even need to consider her options. She opened her fingers and the vial fell to the ground, smashing open. The liquid pooled out and disappeared. "Okay."

"Okay is wonderful," he stated, grabbing her and pulling her closer. "You're staying!"

"Not just for you," she said. "But that plays a big part. It's just… this feels like home."

She leaned up, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"This will always be your home," he assured her, leaning down and letting their lips meet. As they pulled away, Hermione leaned towards his ear. "What do they say about mad men?" she asked.

He chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough," he replied.

Thanks to Emily, Carmen and Shannon.

And the Wanderers!